Gun battle leaves one dead in Dutch village ‘linked to notorious drug lord Fat Jos’ after armed men attack house then open fire on cops
A gun battle in the Dutch village of Overasselt left a 51-year-old security guard dead and two police officers injured after armed men attacked a house before opening fire on responding officers. Authorities have arrested 34 people following the pre-dawn shootout, which local media have linked to notorious drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, also known as "Fat Jos", one of the Netherlands' most wanted criminals.
The attack took place at around 4am when a group of men in balaclavas approached the property; police seized weapons, data storage devices and vehicles at the scene. Dutch newspaper Het Parool reported the violence stemmed from a dispute over several hundred kilograms of cocaine allegedly trafficked by Leijdekkers' network, and prosecutors said those arrested include French, Belgian, Algerian and Dutch nationals facing potential charges ranging from murder to kidnapping preparation. Leijdekkers, 35, remains the subject of an international manhunt and is believed to be living in Sierra Leone, reportedly in a relationship with the president's daughter, beyond the reach of Dutch law enforcement.
- Gun battle in Dutch village kills one, injures two police officers
- 34 arrested; violence linked to fugitive drug lord "Fat Jos"
- Leijdekkers remains at large, reportedly sheltering in Sierra Leone
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A gun battle in the Dutch village of Overasselt has left a security guard dead and two police officers injured. It followed an assault on a house by armed, masked men in the early hours, and Dutch police have since arrested dozens of people from several nationalities.
Investigators and local media have linked the attack to Jos Leijdekkers, known as "Fat Jos", a Dutch drug trafficking suspect who has long topped the country's most-wanted lists. Reports suggest the violence was connected to a dispute over a large cocaine shipment tied to his network, though he was not present at the scene himself.
Leijdekkers has evaded capture for years and is reported to be living in Sierra Leone, out of reach of Dutch authorities, who have pursued him through an international manhunt. The case has drawn attention in the Netherlands as an example of how organised drug crime, usually associated with major cities, can spill into violence in small, quiet communities.